If I can be bold and post an mp3 version of my own sermon. The title of the message is “Jesus is a Rock in a Weary Land” In the sermon is pondered that Jesus feeds us with his actual Body and Blood and is food for our journey across the desert of this world unto the promised land of heaven. In the Old Testament God fed the Israelites in the desert with manna and water from the rock (and the Rock was Christ – 1 Cor 10). Now as then Jesus is our manna and our drink. And just like the Israelites survived on that and would never have made it to the Promised Land without, so do we survive on our Manna, Jesus the Bread of Life and our water from the rock (his Precious Blood). Here is the talk:
Here is a powerful rendering of the Bread of Life Discourse in John 6. This excerpt is from the movie The Gospel of John The Movie is a worthy addition to your collection and the two volume CD is only $9.99 at Amazon. This clip captures the power of Jesus’ words and the reaction of crowd in the synagogue that morning.
The following report gives highlights of Pope Benedict’s Corpus Christi Homily along with other activities of that day, this past Thursday. The video is about a minute and a half. Give ear to the Pope’s exhortation to faith and prayer.
As we celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi today (and on Sunday in most dioceses) we ought to mediate how Christ is our source and strength. Here are some quotes from John 6: and then a video to meditate. Consider well the promises associated with those who faithfully receive the Eucharist. Read these words of Jesus slowly, as if for the first time. Consider their power, rejoice in their promises, heed their prescription:
For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world…..”I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst…..I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”… Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats 19 my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.”
Reason # 39 – I’ll Hasten to His Throne. There is an Old Gospel Music classic called, “I Love the Lord.” and it is derived from an old Spiritual. The words are very moving and based on a Psalm:
I love the Lord. He heard my cry and pitied every groan. Long as I live and troubles rise, I’ll hasten to His throne.
What better advice in facing the troubles of life: hasten to God’s throne. We hasten there by prayer to be sure but also to our parish churches where Jesus Christ dwells: in the tabernacle. This is His special dwelling among us. To be sure God is everywhere but it is our Catholic belief that no presence is more real and more substantial that in the Blessed Sacrament. Nowhere will you be closer to God on earth than in your nearby Catholic parish. It is most truly his throne room, the Holy of Holies. Hasten, that is run, get there fast, hasten to God’s throne. A very fine reason to come Home.
Here is the Old Classic: “I Love the Lord” as sung by Whitney Houston.
Reason # 35 – A Fitting Thanksgiving – In the Book of Psalms the psalm writer asks, “What return can I ever make to the Lord for all the good He has done for me?” The very next verse of the psalm answers the question: “The cup of salvation I will lift up and I will call on the name of the Lord (Psalm 116:12-13). So God has already indicated the way in which he would like to be thanked.
For a Catholic this request of the Lord ought to seem pretty stright-forward when we think of the Cahlice being elevated at every Mass and we make our act of faith in the true presence of Jesus. As a proper thanksgiving God wants us to participate in the Holy Eucharist.
As you may know, the Eucharist means, “Thanksgiving.” It is the perfect act of praise, thanksgiving and worship of the Father by Jesus. We as members of his body participate in that perfect thanksgiving every time we particiapte in Mass. We “take up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord” just as God asks in Psalm 116.
So here is another reason to come home. You owe great thanks to God, you owe infinite thanks to God! How can you ever render your debt? He has told you how: take up the cup of salvation, attend Mass.
Reason # 28 – The Doctor is in – Alright, I got some news for you. It’s difficult news, but I’m sure you can take it ! Here it is: your condition is grave, so is mine. We’ve got some serious stuff wrong with us! You might say we’ve got a few issues! Yes, I’ve got your spiritual “medical chart” and mine open and I’m looking at the test results and the numbers don’t look good. We’ve tested positive for a number of things: It says we can be dishonest, egotistical, undisciplined, weak, immature, arrogant, self-centered, pompous, insincere, unchaste, grasping, judgmental, inpatient, and shallow. It looks like we’ve tested positive for being inconsistent, unfaithful, immoral, ungrateful, disobedient, selfish, lukewarm, slothful, unloving, uncommitted, and just plain sinful. Further tests indicate the presence of fear, indifference, contempt, impurity, hatred, laziness, cowardice, and anger. Likewise, greed, jealousy, revenge fullness, disobedience, hardheartedness, pride, envy, stinginess, selfishness, pettiness, spite, self-indulgence, lust, careless neglect, and prejudice. Our “spiritual” medical history indicates that we have sinned against justice, modesty, purity, and the truth. We have committed sins against the human person, the children and the young, innocent and the trusting, the frail and elderly, the unborn in infants, weak and powerless, immigrants and strangers, and those who are disadvantaged. A set of further test results indicates that we have failed to give witness to Christ, we have failed to join our will to God or give good example to others. We have failed to seek God above all things, to act justly you show mercy, and to repent of our sins. We’ve failed to obey the commandments and curb our earthly desires. We have failed to lead a holy life and to speak the truth. We have failed to pray for others and assist those in need; neither have we consoled the grieving.
Well, you can see that we’re kind of in bad shape. You might say that I’m exaggerating but I suspect, if you’re honest, that you like me have committed many of These sins if not most of them. Without a lot of grace and mercy we are in very bad shape! Indeed, I will say he simply that we are doomed!
But here’s the good news: the doctor is in! Jesus! Likewise, the doctor has a cure:
Daily Prayer
Daily reading of scripture
Holy Communion EVERY Sunday
Frequent Confession, at least 4 times a year, more if mortal sin is a problem!
Frequent doses of the Catechism, the lives of the saints and devotions such as the rosary, and novenas.
Good company and custody of the eyes and ears.
I hope you can see the connection to coming home. We need help; we’ve got stuff going on that will kill us eternally. But Jesus has a hospital: the Church, and Medicine: the Sacraments. Likewise there is spiritual “medical” advice available, the Word of God, sermons, the teachings of the Church and the presence of encouraging doctors and nurses such as the priests, religious, and fellow Catholics. Whether you and like to admit it or not we need regular check-ups and serious medicine. And Jesus is guiding his Church to give skillful advice and distribute powerful medicine. Do you think of the sacraments that way? Many simply think of them as rituals but the truth is they are powerful medicine. I’m a witness. After twenty-five years of seeing the doctor, Jesus and letting him minister to me through Sacraments, the Word and his Church a wonderful change has come over me. I’m not what I want to be but I’m not what I used to be.
Come on home. The doctor is in and you know you need him! Reach out for him what ever your struggles. He’s waiting to minister to you especially in the liturgy and the sacraments. You can’t do it alone. Join us every Sunday at the “holy hospital”, the Church. The Doctor is in!
Alex Jones is a former Pentecostal Minister who found his way to the Catholic Church. It wasn’t easy for im to become a Catholic since he had a lot to loose. But he could not resist the Call of the Lord and the Church is now blesed to have him as a member and and effective Evangelizer. In These Videos of his conversion story he describes how, through his reading of the Fathers of the Church, he was struck at how Catholic the early Church was.
